Hello, I'm a LEO in TN. Used to post frequently on the "old" AR15 site forums.
Tonight some sorry parent who is incapable of raising his children without state support made the typical "If you don't behave, I'll have that officer take you away" comment to his two youngsters. I really get pi$$ed off when I hear that. I just said "No, I'll never take you away, just bad Mommies and Daddies."
I usually just politely point out to the parent that we only help kids and ask them not to scare their children, as one day they might be afraid to ask us for help when its an emergency. Most still don't get it and then wonder why their kid ends up a soup-sandwich 10 years later.
Anyone else hate this or have a better comeback?

Sorry pretzel,
I don't have a better take on it than you!!
YES this sort of crap does piss me off.
Your anger is justified, and I can very much understand.
My wife and I have discussed many times the stupid laws and rules that get passed to control the kids. I always comment on the fact that these are started by stupid parents that are unable to raise their kids, so they want the LEO's and courts to do it for them.
I'm with you on this one, and GREAT come back to the parent!!!!!!!!
starsil9
[rolleyes]

No flame here...I'm LEO, and I'm with you. BUT...I work in a prison, and I see the consequences of young people not considering the "consequences". And here's the rub...WE, and interaction with us, CAN keep kids out of trouble. If some mis-informed, but well-meaning parent wants to use me as a "threat" to wake their kid up, and it works, who the hell am I to object. Again, I see your point and agree, but there is another side to consider. LE=hard, parenting=harder. my2c. Stay safe.

I see someone else is as tired of this crap as I am. Just yesterday, I walked into a convenience store to get a soda and one of the clerk's points at the other and says, "He did it, I saw him." They think they are SOOO funny. I left the bottle of soda and walked out. I'll buy elsewhere.

Art B.-------------------------------Character: Doing the right thing when no one is watching.

How about the perennial favorite, "I didn't do it!" as they raise their hands into the air and smile like they're the funniest damn person on the planet. If I had a dime for every time I heard that one....

Parents "I'd just like you to scare him".
Me "I'm not in the scaring people business, I'm in the taking people to jail business".
Parents "We just dont know what to do"
Me "You have had 15 years to mess this kid up. I cant fix him in 15 minutes".

Nothing in this post should be considered information posted in an official capacity. It is the authors personal opinion alone.

Along the lines of the "scare" request, I hate it when someone calls becuase they don't like their neighbors playing the stereo. After I advise that it's not really against the law therefore I can't ask them to stop, they say "can't you just go scare them?". My usual replies are "so basically you want me to be your hired thug and go scare people who are doing things you don't like, then, huh?" or "well, what if your neighbor called and said they didn't like the color of your car, should I come over here and scare you into painting it because your neighbors didn't like it?" Sorry, but I hate people who think just because they don't like something, it automatically becomes illegal.

Pretzel I usually tell the parent if they say that again I'll take them away for child abuse. I also try to let the child know I'm there to help them. I like to carry the "junior" badges or stickers to hand out to all children who are friendly or interested.

Thanks for all the replies.
Oh yea, I definitely hate the "I didn't do it" & "This is the one your looking for" routines. Like no one else has ever thought of it.
Here's a good one...Tonight some weak excuse for a parent called 911 and requested, specifically, two officers because her 11 year old was "out of control." Now, I have two boys and they can be a handful, but "out of control?" Who wears the pants in that house?
We can't even take them into custody for an offense unless they are 12. And if you *can't* control your child and call the cops to handle it, well, genius, what happens when we leave and you've now shown the kid how pathetic you are? Gimme a break. Yep, that family was a super-sized, extra-value meal, McClusterf*ck.
Oh, can any one tell/show me how to add a pic under my name like Dave G has? Also, how do I post a photo in a reply?

Originally Posted By Pretzelboy:
Oh, can any one tell/show me how to add a pic under my name like Dave G has? Also, how do I post a photo in a reply?

View Quote

To get the photo you gotta cough up $60 to become a member-but you also get into the super secret clubhouse, a Pretzelboy@ar15.com e-mail account and photo storage, plus the occaissional free give away stuff.
for a photo post you have to put {img}the sight for the photo{/img} except use brackets instead of paranthesis.
I will try to resist the "He did it" crack, "Those domestics are the worst, eh, saw that on cops" & "You work for me you know" in the future.

Ah! Sevierville, TN. Home to Ten Tec Electronics. One of my favorite places. Also on the way to the Smokie Mountains.
Gotta love that!
Just for the record, we have police officers in and out of work all day long (Motorola Shop) and it has always bugged the shit out of me when employees do the stupid, unoriginal, jokes as cops walk into the repair area. Talk about alienating your customers! I ought to post this thread at work. Everyone is a comedian.
Edited because I cannot spell even the second time round.

There are days I really do feel for you guys . Well if we're covering bad jokes .
My stepson (A perennial guest of the county lockup) had this one joke he told the last officer who brought him in . It goes Question: "How do you qualify to be a police officer in ****** ? Answer :"Identify and apprehend Bill D**** " ( And for some darn reason he would ALWAYS run .)

As for the parent thing, I had that happen to me three times in one day. None of the kids were older than 4. My usual response is something along the lines of : "If you want to be boneheaded stupid please do so without me."
As for the lame jokes, I have walked out of businesses too. the "sorry, we're all out of donuts" line from a car dealership cost them my truck purchase.

I too hate to hear the normal stupid comments. I do have 1 funny joke that I think I will remember as long as I live. I was working a midnight shift with a friend. He is a big stocky guy, bald and very aggressive on the street. Well we arrested a drunk one night and got him back to the station. We began to process him and he called out to my partner, hey officer morehead. I looked at my partner knowing that his name wasn't even close to that. My partner ignored him. He then yells at him, hey Officer morehead. Finally my partner got pi**!d off and said, hey pal, that's not my name. His response was well it should be, you have more head than hair. I died laughing as did my partner. The funny part was that the drunk who was totally drunk began laughing too, and to see a drunk laugh at his own jokes was just as funny. Maybe someone else has heard that, but I thought it was very funny.

All you TN LEO's!!!
I am on the TN/KY line in Franklin KY (first KY city on I65, just north of Nashville. If you come this way, come and get a cup of joe on me.
Stay Safe.
Art in KY
Crap, time to go to work.

Hey 'dog_m4,
I was out of the net a little while there...guaranteed vacation. Flew in to Knoxville today. Very cool to have my parking validated by KPD/AAPD!
Yeah, we are neighbors. I guess you know Ron W. who came to the greener pastures from UTPD.
All you TN/KY call-grunts let me know, I may line something up shoot-wise. Also, you might not be aware, but one of my co-workers has Louis Awerbuck (SP?) of Gunsight come up once or twice a year to teach a class or two. We just had Patrol/Tactical Carbine last month, IIRC. Let me know if you want a contact number.
Pretzelboy Out.

pretz,
Ron is a good'un. I hated to see him go. Next time you see him, tell him that Jim at UT says that we saved him a spot to work football games. Let me know when you have another class, I might be interested.
underdog